Home Staging Stacks The Deck In Your Favor Using Human Psychology: Here’s How
The Glen Street Blog: Musings on the psychology and business of
home staging from a Greater Boston area luxury stager
Our stagings are designed to say to buyers “I want you to want me…” But how and why we do that is rooted in human psychology.
IMAGINE YOU’RE CRAVING A HAMBURGER…
Ok, make it a bacon cheeseburger with fries. Does that sound better? I thought so.
Say you’ve just hit some big milestone– you got the job, achieved your goal, or maybe it’s your birthday. Whatever it is, this is BIG and you’re looking to celebrate!!!
So, you’re walking down the street, thinking about nothing but this bacon cheeseburger with fries and, *poof!*, Shake Shack appears on one side of the street and The Capital Grille on the other. As money is no object for you, both are viable options (please note, I’m not using McDonalds in this hypothetical magical scenario – Shake Shack is truly delicious and I want it to be a fair fight.)
Now, let me remind you, you REALLY want this bacon cheeseburger with fries. You’re literally salivating over it. And not just any bacon cheeseburger will do - it needs to live up to your taste buds’ expectations. It needs to be amazing!!!
Which do you choose? If you’re looking for “the best”, there’s no comparison - The Capital Grille’s burger is obviously the best. The quality of the meat, the artisan cheese, and the truffle fries. OMG, the truffle fries! The Capital Grille is known for being “the best”, so their burger must be the best. Right?
But what if it’s not. What if both The Capital Grille AND Shake Shack use the same exact ingredients? I’m not saying they do, but what if they did? Do you really know what kind of beef each restaurant uses? Do you really know if one’s cheese is better than the other’s? Do you really, truly know that you’re getting a “better” burger if you choose The Capital Grille?
You don’t - but you have a belief that one is better than the other, even though that may not be the case.
And because you are a human, and humans have a perpetual need for self-validation, your brain will actively look for evidence to support that belief – even in the face of contrary evidence.
This, friends, is confirmation bias.
WHAT IS CONFIRMATION BIAS?
According to Brittanica, confirmation bias is defined as, “People’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs. This biased approach to decision making is largely unintentional, and it results in a person ignoring information that is inconsistent with their beliefs.”
For this staging at a lake house in Natick, MA, we worked in little reminders of the home’s location (like this fish), planting evidence of the lifestyle this house affords.
In other words, we see what our very human brains want to see - and what our brain wants to see is only the things that confirm our existing thoughts and beliefs.
But how is this relevant to real estate?
Only in every possible way.
SO IS IT A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING?
While it’s tempting to believe buyers make their decisions based purely on logic, that’s just not the case. We may use logic as a tool, but logic alone isn’t enough to sway us one way or another. The belief that something will make us FEEL the way we want to feel determines if we will buy it - and how much we want to feel that way (or don’t want to feel otherwise) will determine how much we’re willing to pay for it.
And this is where confirmation bias can become either your very best friend or your mortal enemy.
Potential buyers will form an opinion about your listing in a matter of seconds. Once that opinion is formed, it’s hard to change – most people are aware of this. What we’re missing, however, is the “why”.
Why are these first impressions practically set in stone? Because once these first impressions are formed, buyers will subconsciously look for evidence that supports that first impression. Confirmation bias.
In other words, when a buyer’s first thoughts of a home are positive, they will fall more and more in love with a home at every turn. When their first thoughts are negative, the opposite will hold true.
A great example of confirmation bias is the importance of curb appeal. Overgrown shrubs, weeds, and peeling paint, leads buyers to the assumption that the home has not been well maintained - and once potential buyers have that thought, they will subconsciously look for more evidence to support this theory. They’ll see the tiny cracks in the grout, hear every little creek in the floor, and make a mental note of every scuff on the walls.
Then, they’ll start to wonder what’s behind those walls… because if what they CAN see hasn’t been maintained, what they CAN’T see is assumed to be the same. That is a very, very scary thought for potential buyers – and the last thing you want potential buyers feeling about your listing is fear.
But curb appeal is like a beautiful book jacket. You’re not buying the book for it’s cover art, you’re buying it for its content – for what’s inside. And buyers aren’t buying a house for how it looks from the street, they’re buying it for the lifestyle it will provide.
Curb appeal sets the baseline from which a buyer’s perception of a home can either go up or down, depending on what they see when they walk in the door. And you want that baseline set high - because it’s in those first few seconds after crossing the threshold that lasting opinions are formed.
USING CONFIRMATION BIAS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
So, let’s assume a seller has taken the proper steps to ensure their home presents well on the exterior (curb appeal) and buyers feel optimistic as they approach the house.
This is where the rubber meets the road and sellers have a REAL opportunity to use confirmation bias to their advantage - by presenting buyers with the evidence needed to confirm those initial positive feelings about the home. Yes, friends, we’ve arrived at the importance of staging!
Our staging plan for this home in Wellesley was designed to highlight its amazing flow, with an open floor plan that both defined and connected each space.
If buyers walk into what appears to be a well-maintained home only to be greeted by worn, outdated, or dirty furnishings, any goodwill created by the curb appeal will quickly erode. Old, worn furniture sends two main signals to buyers, and those signals aren’t good:
The home has not been maintained (because if the current owners don’t care about the condition of their furniture, they may not care about the condition of the home)
The home does not provide the lifestyle the buyer is seeking
Staging paints the picture of the lifestyle your buyers want to live. If buyers previously held positive beliefs about the house, staging reinforces those positive beliefs. If they previously held negative beliefs about the house, staging removes any evidence to support those negative beliefs.
Staging stacks the deck in your favor by using confirmation bias to your advantage.
GREAT, SO WE’LL JUST PAINT THE WALLS AND GET SOME LOW-COST STAGING AND WE’LL BE GOOD, RIGHT?
Not exactly.
Yes, paint the walls. Walls take a beating in everyday life, so always paint the walls before listing. And get the house professionally cleaned. And go to Home Depot to get some updated lighting fixtures and have your electrician pop them in.
But be sure to take the time and care to choose the RIGHT stager for your listing.
The most likely buyer for this home in Millis was a young family purchasing their first home. Staging with vibrant colors and on-trend fabrics that spoke to these buyers was essential to achieving a quick sale.
Not all staging is the same. Far from it. Each stager has their own inventory and (contrary to popular belief) that inventory is not an endless pool of furniture and accessories. Staging that will result in the highest ROI is one that fits both the home and the most likely buyer by:
Being compatible with the architecture of the home
Being compatible with the desired style of the most likely buyer
Being the proper scale for the home
Matching or exceeding the net worth of the most likely buyer
Don’t forget, buyers are buying a FEELING. Make sure you’re selecting a stager who has the inventory, the experience, and the track record of presenting buyers with the evidence that the home is worth the price.
I’M A BUILDER AND ALL OF MY LISTINGS ARE NEW CONSTRUCTION. THIS “CONFIRMATION BIAS” STUFF DOESN’T APPLY TO ME, RIGHT?
Nope, not right.
Even in new construction, buyers are subconsciously looking for evidence that a home is or is not worth the asking price. If your new construction home (or any home, for that matter) is shown vacant, it’s very challenging for most buyers to find evidence that the home will make them feel the way they want to feel - because most buyers can’t see anything but what’s right in front of them. In a vacant home, that’s just a bunch of empty rooms.
When we show a buyer a vacant home, we’re making the assumption that the buyer has the “vision” to imagine themselves living there. But that’s asking A LOT of that buyer - asking anyone to envision how they’ll feel two steps ahead of where they are now is a challenge.
When a buyer walks through a vacant home trying to imagine how they’ll feel living there, but not seeing anything to help them connect with that feeling, they start to feel uncomfortable. With discomfort as their baseline feeling, they start to notice OTHER things that make them feel uncomfortable - because their brain is subconsciously looking for evidence to support and validate those feelings of discomfort. Maybe they notice the finishes aren’t as high end as they’d expect at this price point. Maybe they notice flaws in the paint. Maybe it’s nothing more than the echo in the room as their feet hit the hardwood floor.
Confirmation bias is now working against you.
Don’t do this. Don’t put your buyers in a position to find evidence of flaws in your beautiful, newly constructed property. Don’t give confirmation bias the chance to bite you in the butt.
The solution? You guessed it: stage it. Stage it well. Show your potential buyers that the home is warm and welcoming. Show them it will fit their family and their lifestyle. Show them the evidence they need to confirm their belief that this is the home for them.
THE BOTTOM LINE
As stagers, we’re in the business of flipping confirmation bias in your favor. Staging delivers evidence to your buyers that the home we’ve staged is well maintained, will perfectly fit the lifestyle they want to live, and is worth every penny - and more.
We’ll turn your listing into the best bacon cheeseburger on the block.
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